Böker Revives 100-Year-Old Design for 2019

Böker has the 1906 traditional knife slated for release next month. The 1906 is a modern day recreation of a centenarian knife design, produced in Böker’s modern day Solingen factory but made to adhere to the design practices the company had when it was 100 years younger.

According to Böker, the 1906 recreates a product that was available at the beginning of the 20th century. But they didn’t have the luxury of a historical prototype or design document to follow – and such paperwork rarely exists for products that old. Therefore they recreate the knife according to the production mentality that would’ve been present during this neglected classic’s original creation.

As such, the overall specs of the 1906 fall into a category that isn’t as common today as it once was: the mid-sized, locking traditional. It has a 3.5 inch clip point blade and weighs 4.5 oz.; compared to some of Böker’s other traditional knives or popular offerings from GEC and Case, it’s definitely on the larger side. In terms of cutting tasks it should be able to do more heavy lifting than its slipjoint brethren on top of benefiting from the added blade length. The 1906 has a nickel silver bolster and ebony wood covers, with a Tree Brand shield on the lower half of the show side. Its classic crescent nail mark is only front-facing, but there’s enough clip point blade showing to pinch open this knife as well.

Böker’s standard 440C is the steel choice; although it likely wasn’t around when the 1906’s progenitor was circulating, it is one of the few stainless steels that are considered “period appropriate” for traditionals. Documentation for early stainless steels is not easy to come by, but according to a recent article by Larrin Thomas on Knife Steel Nerds, a very similar (if not identical) steel was in use by the 30s. In either case, modern users know what to expect from Böker’s 440C: a utility-oriented balance of decent edge retention and easy sharpening, accompanied by a high corrosion resistance.

The 1906 is expected to be available for purchase just after the new year. Böker has set the MSRP at €129.95.

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